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Bella Rasmussen makes history, becomes first female football player to ink an NIL deal

Bella Rasmussen
Photo credit: MarketPryce

Back in October, Bella Rasmussen became the first female to score two touchdowns in a varsity football game for Laguna Beach High School in California. On Tuesday, she made more history by becoming the first female football player to land an NIL deal.

Rasmussen partnered with KeyWise to help promote the KeyWise Skye app, which acts as a fitness tracker for your brain. The deal was facilitated by MarketPryce and it was announced during an interview on NBC Access Hollywood’s “Access Daily” show with Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover.

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“KeyWise is specified to you, instead of having people try to deal with mental health in a certain way,” Rasmussen said. “Mental health is talked about a lot, but it’s not always clear how to solve the problems you have.”

Michael Ehrlich, MarketPryce’s Head of Athlete Engagement, helped Rasmussen explore meaningful NIL opportunities because she had no interest in partnering with brands that didn’t feel authentic to her.

“Bella and her family were not versed in all things NIL, but they had a clear vision for how they wanted to engage authentically within the space,” Ehrlich said, via MarketPryce. “After a deep dive on what is most important to their family, mental wellness and health was the obvious path to explore.”

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Rasmussen added: “I’ve been around the negative impacts of mental health for so long. I didn’t like how it was impacting the people around me, the people I love. When this all came to be, and I had this opportunity to partner with KeyWise, I realized: ‘Wow.’ I could help way more than the one person in my family, or the one friend who’s fighting depression. I can reach people throughout the country.”

Rasmussen’s goal is to break down the stigma around asking for help.

“We were inspired by Bella’s story and her authenticity,” said KeyWise Co-Founder Raeanne Moore. “She expressed a desire to use her platform to discuss her own mental health journey and inspire others on their personal journeys.”